Wash Day - 12/20/2012

So I just recently had a wash day and am posting late. I kind of like to do my wash day on Thursday so my hair is fresh for the weekend or if something is going on Friday night. ha ha! 

All my goodies came in earlier this week so I started out prepooing for about 30 minutes with grapeseed oil and my new conditiong cap! yay! So excited about this, i hate sitting under my hair dryer.

After prepooing I shampooed with Brocato Splassh sulfate free shampoo.  I put in Roux Porosith control for 30 seconds then rinsed and then did my black tea rinse.  This time I only used one tea bag and try to cool the temp before pooring onto my hair.  My hair did not feel "as" hard, not sure if it was the temp or amount of tea.  Most likely the temp is my opinion.

After rinsing I used my Ion Solutions Smoothing Conditioner with Keratin to soften my hair.  I left it on for about a minute and then rinsed.

Next I deep conditioned with my Kera Pro Restorative Treatment also under my heating cap for about 45 minutes.  Did feel like getting out my steamer.  Will use it my next wash.

Finally I rinsed my DC, applied Darcy's Leave In Conditioner and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum and wrapped my hair.  I sat under the hair dryer for maybe 45 minutes to get smooth results. I mainly wanted to get about 80% dry and let the rest air dry overnight. It was a long Thursday night! LOL!  My hair was very soft and smooth the next morning. 

People always ask me if I flat iron after I've wrapped my hair, but I don't.  My hair usually gets pretty smooth from just the wrap.  I am worried that since I'm using a mild relaxer now, and my hair is not so bone straight, that I won't be able to get these kind of results anymore.  My hair is feeling pretty wavy where I have most recently begun self relaxing....not kinky, but pretty wavy.  It feels soft and thick.  I'll have to take a pic.

Here are some next day pics. You can see how thin my hair is in the second pic. Not sure if I should just go ahead and get a trim CUT....  :o(

Is anyone else out there having thin hair woes???



P.S. I've also made another new purchases.  Looked at this a few weeks ago and couldnt help myself. I purchased Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Split End Sealer.  The carob seed oil in this product is supposed to bind split ends, reducing split ends by 93.3%.  The reviews looked good so I gave in....true product junky huh?



Has anywone else tried this? How did you like it?

Thanks for reading,

Andrea

FYI - HotCombs Sale

HotCombs is having a sale. Coupon code: lastminute to save 20% on your order. Finally got my HS1975 styling comb. They were out of stock last time I checked. Just wanted to share. Love my seamless combs.

~Andrea

Wash Day

1.  I prepooed last night with my ORS Hair Mayonaise uner my hair dryer for a little over 30 minutes to give my hair a medium protein treatment.  I've been having a bit of breakage here and there so I thought it was needed. 

2.  After rinsinng I shampooed with Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Shampoo. 

3.  Next I deep conditioned with Kera Pro Restorative Treatment under my hair steamer for about 30 minutes.

4.  After rinsing the conditioner I sqeezed my hair dry with a tshirt and applied a clear rinse to my hair.  I left it in probably about 15 minutes and then rinsed.

5.  Finally I applied Darcy's Botanicals Coconut Lemongrass Transition Creme and Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum for my leave-ins and wrapped my hair. It was so easy to wrap, possibly because of the slip provided from the clear rinse and the serum. 

6.  I sat under my hair dryer for 45 minutes to get smooth results.  When I air dry my wrap my hair is not as smooth.  I secured with two mesh wraps and then tied my satin scarf before sitting under the dryer. 

Snapped a pic of my wrapped hair.  You can really see the shine from the clear rinse.  I undid my wrap and there was minimal shedding, but it wasnt as light and bouncy as I had hoped.  Maybe because I used too much Darcy's CLTC instead of the Daily Leave In Conditioner.  I really loved the results from my last wash.   Oh well, ya win some ya lose some. As long as my hair is healthy.

Andrea

New Purchases

So I've made some more purchases to incorporate into my HHJ.  I am so excited, I cannot wait until everything arrives! Super Cheesin!!! First off, I purchased 3 Jars of Kera Pro Restorative Treatment at Sally's last weekend (regularly $10.99, on sale for $5.00 each).  I am so glad I checked with the sales associate because there was no sale sign up and she said it wasn't in their sale paper, but sure enough she did a price check and there it was. Yay!  I had also ordered some more Darcy's Botanicals Coconut Lemongrass Transition Creme, but it hasnt arrived yet.  This was a Black Friday purchase.

Today I purchased a few items on Amazon as well. I am going to go broke fooling with my hair, but I am healthy hair obssessed!  I finally ordered a heating cap to do my prepoos and deep conditioning.  Currently I use a hooded hair dryer sitting on my ironing board so I can adjust the height.  I feel like I can't do anything sitting in this chair oddly placed in my room.  Now I can prepoo laying down, I can watch TV without the noisy dryer.  So glad to make this purchase.  I got the Mastex heat cap.  It had really good reviews and the price was reasonable. I'll probably look ridiculous in it, but hey as long as my hair is happy I am fine!

I also purchased grape seed oil and hemp seed oil to try on my hair.  I really like coconut oil, but it does seem to weigh my hair down.  I've read that grapeseed oil is fairly light it sinks into the hair.  And I've started to look into the ceremide benefits and these oils are packed with those so I'm giving it a try.

Finally I decided to purchase a humidifier to use during the winter.  I saw Jeni's post on JGA on Winterizing your hair regimen and having a humidifier is beneficial because it keeps moisture in the air preventing your hair from drying out from the cold dry air during the winter.

I can't wait until my orders come in.  I think my humidifier is estimated to get here Monday. I am so excited about this journey.  I feel like I'm moving in a positive direction.  The only thing I'm mainly concerned about is determining how much shedding/breakage is too much.  I am very paranoid and always have been about that.  I'll figure it out. 

Right now I'm in the middle of my wash day, so I am planning to post everything by tomorrow.  Off to rinse my prepoo.

Thanks for reading!

Andrea





So I Have Noticed

1.  That coconut oil has been making my hair feel so soft and smooth (but my hair does look thinner when it is oily as you can see from some of my picks; the strands stick together); remembering that it's good for me

2.  My most recently relaxed hair is straighter but does appear to have some texture.  Texlaxed maybe...I think so. Which means stronger thicker hair for me.  I cant wait for it to grow out.  I think this is the perfect amount of texture for my hair.

3.  My wrap comes out a LOT smoother when I sit under the hair dryer.  If I let it air dry, it is not as smooth (even though it's been tied down).

4.  I think my nape and front edges are getting longer.  I want to give it some time before I take anymore picks.  I try to keep moisurizing and sealing every night especially my nape and front edges of my hair.  Sometimes I'll just find myself grabbing my Darcy's Transition Creme and rubbing it in whenever throughout the day.  This is a REALLY BIG goal of mine.  To get my nape in tip top shape.  I was told it would not grow and aim to prove this wrong.


Just a few tidbits of info that I thought I'd jot down.  Still learning my hair and its wants and needs.  I feel like there's more to add, but can't think at the moment.


On a side note....I did a cowash last night.  I guess it's a cowash since I used the Wen cleansing conditioner.  Purchased it for my mom to try out, but she didnt like it too much.  I guess its okay.  I followed the directions and then applied my leave-ins, wrapped and air-dried overnight.  My hair was full but not as smooth as if I'd sat under the dryer.  It wasn't bad but it wasn't great.  I'll have to try it another time.   Alrighty I think I'll hit the pillow.

Thanks for reading,

Andrea

21 Hair Questions Tag

Came across this Hair Tag on Pound Cake by way of JGA and thought it would be fun to do.  I don't have anyone to tag though since I'm new to blogging and have no followers yet. LOL! But hey why not? Maybe one day. If anyone comes across this on my page, please feel free to participate.  Tag you're it! :)

1. Why did you start taking better care of your hair?

I've always wanted long hair and had it for a while, but then started having to trim it because of constant damage.  One day I just started googling about hair steamers and I came across several blogs of ladies who had the same desire as me. Long healthy relaxed hair.  It started with Nadege at Relaxed Hair Health and then Jeni at Just Grow Already, and many others.  All of these women have been an inspiration to me.  They proved that it can be done no matter how many people(or professional stylists rather) tell you that you can't.

2. What are your 2 favorite hair products?

I am loving me some Kera Pro Restorative Treatment and Organix Coconut Milk Anti-breakage serum for sealing. 

3. Who's hair did you admire as a child?

My aunt Stephanie.  When me hair was longer (during high school) she and I used to compete on who had the longest hair.  Of course she won! It's still long and healthy to this day.

4. What is your ultimate goal length?

I think I would be happy at BSL

5. How are you going to celebrate when you reach your ultimate goal length?

Maybe I'll do a "hair" photo shoot! Ha! I know I want to go show it off to those who said it wasn't possible! ;)

6. Two styles you want to try at your goal length?

Roller set and probably and long french braid.  I saw Jeni's on JGA and was SOOOO envious! 

7. Which do you prefer: Health or Length?

Health of course. Who wants to have ugly long hair?  I've seen some people try to rock that. It doesn't work. Ijs...

8. Which do you prefer: hair ties with no metal parts or butterfly clips?

I guess I'll say hair ties...haven't found my fave hair accessory yet. Butterfly clips are sometimes uncomfortable.

9. What products do you prefer: salon brands, organic brands, BSS brands, Drugstore brands, or other?

I don't yet have a preference.  Anything that helps with my hair health is fine by me.

10. Which product/technique do you think is over-rated?

Can't think of anything here...

11. Which product/technique do you think is under-rated?
Moisturizing and sealing.  Many don't realize the importance of it and what it does for the health of your hair.  I had no idea until I started my journey.

12. What is your favorite part of your hair regimen?
My wash days.  I love when my hair is freshly washed and not too oily.  It's all soft and bouncy. :)

13. What is the most annoying part of your hair regimen?
Also my wash day...jumping in and out of the shower multiple times to do this that and the other. Apply rinse, apply rinse, apply sit under the dryer.  Lol!  Still tweaking my regimen though.

14. Oils or Butters?
Oils...haven't tried butters but sounds thicker than I'd like.  I have thin hair so thick things will weight it down and make it look thinner.

15. Buns or Ponytails?
Not quite long enough for a bun yet, but when I am this will be my go to protective style.

16. Wigs or Weaves?

Neither for me.  I think I'd look funny in a wig and I'm not a fan of these or weaves personally

17. What is your opinion of growth aids?
If it works go for it

18. At what length do you consider hair long?

BSL....even APL is pretty long to me

19. When is the last time you visited a salon?

In September 2012 I believe and I was very disappointed; No offense but the stylist did not want to listen to what I wanted but argued with me about doing a regular wrap because I didn't want a flat iron used on my hair.

20. What do you like to surf most often: YouTube channels, personal blogs, or hair forums?
Personal blogs and I do occassionally what how to videos on YouTube

21. And finally, what piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out on their hair journey?
Learning to be patient and always put hair health before length.  It'll all come in due time. That's what I'm telling myself anyway. :)


Tag! You're it...

Wash Day

So trying to keep up with the wash day posts.  Still in the middle of it, sitting under the hair dryer as we speak. Two posts in one day! Crazy! lol

Alright so I started off by prepooing with Jojoba and Coconut Oil for maybe an hour or so.  I tried to use the hot "towel" my (t-shirt) method to get some steam action going, but it got cool pretty fast so I just had a wet shirt on my head on top of the fact that I looked really silly.  I took a pic, but don't think I'll be posting it.   I finally just usd my conditioning cap I purchased and wore it for a while.

PRE-POO

I started off shampooing with this new shampoo I got from a friend.  It's called Splassh Daily Shampoo by Brocato.  It is a sulfate free shampoo.  Sulfates, if I'm correct, usually strip the moisutre from your hair.  Some stay away from these and others use them anyway.  I dont mind mixing it up, as long as I replace the lost moisture.  After shampooing, I followed up with Roux Porosity control for about 30 secs to close the cuticles of my hair for my black tea rinse.  The rinse came next and I let it sit a couple minutes.  I'm wondering if I should have used colder tea because the  warm tea probably opened my pores back up.  I just mainly want it on my scalp to reduce shedding.  After that I used Ion Smooth Solutions Smoothing Conditioner with Keratin to smooth my hair because it felt hard after the tea rinse.  Finally I deep conditioned with Optimum Care Salon Collection Deep Conditioning Masque under my hair dryer for 20 minutes.  I didnt feel like getting out my steamer this wash.  Oh and I was so excited about finally finding a use for the small jars I purchased at Sally's.  I don't usually use all of the contents of conditioning packets so I can squeeze the rest into my cute little jar for future use. :)
I had no idea how I was going to use them, but they were on sale. Can never pass up a sale I guess! LOL

     DEEP CONDITION

After rinsing my deep conditioner I applied my leave-in's.  I used Darcy's Botanical Leave In Conditioner and this time to seal I used Paul Mithcell Supper Skinny Serum.  I wrapped my hair (to the left this time).  I alwasy do the right side so I need to switch it up so there's not more stress on one side.  Used two mesh wraps to secure my hair and my satin scarf, but this time instead of air drying I sat under the dryer for maybe an hour and a half.  I gotta start timing this stuff.  After dry I followed up with my Ionic Blow dryer on cool temp.  I here that using cool air on your hair helps close the cuticles giving a smooth look and shine.   I am SUPER DUPER happy with this wash.  Just a few short strands of hair came out into the sink when I combed out my wrap.  Some breakage is just unavoidable I guess, but still bugs me. I want ALL my hair! Check out my pics. So many good ones I couldn't make up my mind. :)

Smooth Shiny Hair = Happy Girl 

changed from my black tank so I could check for weak spots or damage in back

 

So far so good! :)

Andrea

Relaxer Touchup - 4 weeks post

Okay okay, so I know this looks bad.  I ended up doing my relaxer on Monday, Dec. 3 instead of this Friday.  I actually had an interview to be scheduled and I REALLY wanted my hair to look decent.  So four weeks seems too soon, but if anyone saw my previous posts, my last relaxer seems to be nonexistent.  It felt like I hadn't had a relaxer in a couple of months let alone 4 weeks.  About an inch or more of my roots felt like a little mini fro under my relaxed hair (that's an inch with my roots tightly drawn up) and blow drying it was a nightmare!  That being said, I am much happier with my results this time as I made a few changes.

I used Elasta QP Lye Relaxer again.  Mild of course.  I did the half and half method on my hair again (very difficult).  I hope I can get used to it at some point.  I also used my timer on my phone to make sure I left it in long enough but not too long.  It took about 10 to 15 min on each half.[set my timer for 10 but went over a little].  Did all the same things I did in my previous entry accept I did use the comb to smooth the hair this time.  I think this helped a lot.  I also got a little lazy and didn't do the twisted sections in the back half.  I just kind of parted and applied.  Was in a rush.  Final exams were this week and I had studying to do on top of interview prep.  Whew! LOL!

Another thing I did was I started on the opposite side from what I did the last time.  I started with my back section, but since last time I started on the right back section this time I started on the left.  Same switch up on the front half as well.  That way the one section isn't "more relaxed" than the other.  The side you always start on is the one that has the relaxer on it the longest so it's best to switch it up.  Relaxed the back inch or so of my nape and my front edges last.  Going easy on my weak spots.  Hopefully someday I can say the "weak spots" are nonexistent.  I noticed a slight waving on the sides that were relaxed last. But still pretty straight.  Did my protein treatment with Aphogee 2 Min after rinsing out relaxer.  Once the conditioner was rinsed out I neutralized [multiple times I may add.  I want to make sure I get it all out!]   I deep conditioned with one of my FAVE conditioners (which I hear is on sale at Sally's this week; got to stock up!!!) under my steamer for 30 minutes.  Kera PRO Restorative Treatment...love this stuff!!

DEEP CONDITIONER OF CHOICE

After rinsing out my conditioner I applied my leave-ins and then wrapped my hair.  I used two mesh hair raps and then covered with my satin hair wrap [which I have been doubling up as a scarf...ha ha! Its better on my hair than using a cotton scarf which could cause breakage. It still keeps me warm. :)]

LEAVE-INS USED



Please ignore the rest of the mess on my dresser. lol



Pictured above is Organix Coconut Milk anti-breakage serum and Darcy's Botanical Daily Leave In Conditioner Sweet Cream sent.  My hair smells soooooo good with this stuff.  My hair was soft, fluffy and STRAIGHT the next morning! Hallelujah! LOL!  I think the mild relaxer is very easy on my hair so I think over time I will notice more strength and possibly more thickness hopefully.  I have always hated how thin my hair is so I'm hoping this will help.  I don't know if it's still considered texlaxed, but one of the methods to get texlaxed hair is said to be using a mild perm...so maybe so.  It all just depends on how much texture you want.  I don't want completely bone straight but I don't want a lot of texture either.  I think I will keep this method consistent for my relaxers and hopefully see some amazing results.  I may be doing a wash day tomorrow just because I want to keep it up on the weekends like normal, but I don't want to wait all the way to next weekend to wash my hair. I love clean fresh hair.  This was an off week, but I'll be back to normal and try to keep up with my wash day posts so I can keep track of what's working and what's not. Anywho, here are pics of my results.  I was much happier this time.

Anyway, just saw Jeni's post on Just Grow Already about winterizing your hair.  I think I'd like to invest in a humidifier and planning on continuing to moisturize and seal as often as possible.  I am loving coconut oil right now on my hair. Oh she also had a great post where she experimented with different oils in a jar of water.  It really showed how important oils are to sealing in moisture.  I never realized this before, but it really makes since.  Trying this out on my skin as well.  Lotion followed by a light body oil to keep my skin nice and soft. I always notice in the winter even after I put on my lotion my skin will be right back feeling dry.  Now I'm just rambling.  Well I will make sure i update my washday post for tomorrow. I should probably get to bed.  Until next time....

Andrea



Shame on Me

I haven't been keeping up with my Wash Days.  My most recent wash day was this Thursday.  The weekend before I washed on Saturday but followed up on Sunday by deep conditioning.  I thought I had used too much of the Aphogee Green Tea and Keratin Reconstructurizer in my hair before I wrapped it.  When I took it down overnight it kind of stuck together and felt a bit firm/dry kind of like how setting lotion feels.  Did not like that. I like when my hair comes out soft and smooth.

My roots are driving me nuts!  My texlax attempt makes me feel like I really didnt have a relaxer at all.  Possibly because I used a mild relaxer and tried to keep the relaxer in as briefly as possible.  Instead of "underprocessing" I feel like there was no processing.  With that being said, I'm planning to do a touch up next Friday, Dec. 7.  That will be 5 weeks since my "texlaxl".  This time I will leave it in the full lenght of time(since it is mild anyway) and I also plan to use my comb to smooth the hair instead of just my fingers.  Knowing how I am, relaxer stretching is going to be the MOST difficult part of this journey.  Have been trying to straighten my roots by blow drying using the tension method that I've read about.  i try to avoid direct heat as much as possible.

Anyway, the texlaxing idea might be going out the door....or maybe I just didnt get it right this time.  My goal is mainly not to break all the protein bonds in my hair so that it retains some strength, but I still want straight hair and I still want to be able to wrap it with no problem.  I love taking down an soft, smooth, fresh air dried wrap. Sigh....I'll get it back.

Oh! I'm trying to keep my regimen more simple as well.  Trying not to do too too much.  I'm wondering if this is why I haven't been happy lately with my wash day results.  I keep having to follow up with something to correct whatever I've done.  But this is a journey, and I'm still learning and will continue to make mistakes.  Trying to learn to "listen" to my hair and it's needs.  No pics today!  Until next week! :]

Andrea :)

My Very First Length Check

Pretty good progress, I think. Hoping as I trim more over time my ends will be a little thicker. I'll do another check at my next relaxer touch-up.

Smiles :-)
~ Andrea

My 'Co-Wash' Attempt - 11/21/2012

I actually deep conditioned with KeraPro Restorative treatment, rinsed & applied my leave-ins. Also used Aphogee Green Tea Reconstructurizer and Silk Elements heat protectant creme.
Happy Thanksgiving all!
~Andrea

Pre-Pooing 101

So in the beginning of my hair journey I was doing a lot of research online, reading different articles and blogs.  I noticed that many of the HHJ bloggers had pre-pooing as the first step in their wash day regimen.  Pre-pooing simply means pre shampoo treatment.  I have decided to incorporate this into my regimen as well.  One question that I some how neglected to find the answer to is: 

 "Why Pre-poo?" 

I just thought hey it's working for these ladies I'm just going to jump on the band wagon.  But I never bothered to figure out why they are doing this? Why does it work? What is it's purpose?  I just assumed it was another way to add moisutre to the hair; extra conditioning. Often times conditioners and sometimes oils are used to pre-poo. But I started wondering, if we are pre-moisturizng our hair prior to shampooing, then why are we washing it right back out just to deep condition again right after?  On search for my answer I found this awesome article explaining pre-pooing and it's benefits.

The Benefits of Pre-pooing

Pre-pooing is basically done to protect the hair from the harsh process of shampooing which basically strips moisture from your hair.  The main purpose of shampooing is to cleanse the scalp.  Pre-pooing adds a barrier of protection as well as an added benefit of conditioning.

This is a great article, and it has even enlightened me to some mistakes I have been making . On my last wash day, I pre-pooed overnight with a conditioner.  (Actually I was DC-ing after my wash) This is a NO-NO! Thats why my hair felt too soft and kind of gummy the next day and I ended up correcting with a protein treatment.  You should also never prepoo overnight with a protein based conditioner as well.  Lesson learned!

Andrea :)

Wash Day - Nov 17 (Part 2)

I got up this morning and rinsed out the Mizani Moisture Fuze.  I think I mentioned before how thick it was and once I rinsed my hair felt kind of gummy and stretchy.  I started to think to myself, "self, is your hair on moisture overload."  I really didnt think that could be possible for some reason.  I thought I just had a relaxer last weekend and did a light protein treatment, surely I dont need more protein.  I did a strand test and my hair did seem to stretch and then snap which is a sign that my hair was in need of some protein.  So I decided to reshampoo my hair with PM Super Skinny and pulled out my jar of ORS Hair Mayonaise.  I sat under the hair dryer for about 15 minutes rinsed and attemtped my roller set.

As for my roller set, I was not happy with it.  I think my lack of patience has something to do with it.  I took forever it seemed and I hate sitting under the dryer so I'm going to have to figure something else out.  I also wish when I self relaxed that I'd let my hair get a little straighter.  I may end up correcting this on my next touch up.  I don't like my roots feeling so kinky.  I'm afraid to run my comb through it and I dont want to use my flat iron.  Anyway, I rapped my hair and tied it down to get a straighter look, hoping it turns out okay when I take it down.  Maybe I'll post a pic.

Oh I also shed alot after my rollerset which I wasnt happy about.  Well either it was shed hair or broken hair.  I didnt take the time to examine.  I keep wondering if I'm going to keep having the breakage because of previous damage or weak spots in my hair that have finally given in.  I dont know, but it's definitely frustrating.  Ugh!  When I went to super cuts the girl told me that my hair was healthy and it has been feeling so soft and fluffy lately, so it surprises me when I still have broken hair in the sink.  Hopefully I will figure it out soon.  Until next time.


Andrea :)

Wash Day - Nov. 16, 2012 (Part 1)

I am tryign to keep up with these wash days.  I need to be a little more consistent as I keep changing things like the products I'm using and the order in which I use them.  So today I started off by prepooing with ORS Deep Penetrating Conditioner with a little Roux Porosity control mixed in.  After rinsing I shampooed with two differnt Motions brand products.  For the first lather I used Marula Natural Therapy Strengthening Shampoo.  I've had this for a while and am trying to finish off the bottle.  I actually dont really have any complaints about this shampoo, I would buy it again definitely.  The second lather I used Motions Naturally You Mosturizing Cleanser. What I did not realize was that it does contain sulfates and so it made my hair feel kind of dry after I rinsed.  I assumed that I would get opposite results since it is a moisturizing cleanser supposedly.  oh well.  After rinsing I did a Black Tea rinse (said to reduce shedding) then after rinsing with water I used Paul Mitchel Supper Skinny Daily Treatment conditioner to smooth my hair because it was really dry and hard after the black tea.

Currently I am deep conditioning with a new conditioner that I decided to try.  I think I am switching up too much, which may not help me to figure out what works for me.  I am not being consistent.  I need to get that together.  Anyway I purchased Mizani's Moisture Fuze conditioner.  It says to leave in for 5 minutes, but I am going to leave it in overnight.  I dont like how thick it is and it was hard detangling with this in my hair.  Let's see if it gets my hair soft.   Part 2 should come tomorrow.  I am planning on attempting to roller set again as well.  I realized some things I've been doing wrong with that and I plan to get under my dryer this time. LOL!!! 

The next question is.....clear rinse...or no clear rinse???  I didnt like the results last time, but I will say I was doing TOO much to my hair that day.  Anywho....

to be continued....

Andrea :)

Relaxer Touch-up [Texlax attempt] - November 9, 2012

So I kinda caved.  I was only about 8 weeks post and decided to go ahead and self relax this passed Friday, for good reason I hope.  I might need my hair to look decent this week. LOL! So I decided to go ahead and get it out of the way.  AND this is my first attempt at texlaxing.  Well 8 weeks ago i bought a no-lye kids perm, trying to go for something easier on my tresses, but I let a stylist put it in.  I've decided though that I want to try a lye relaxer instead as I have read that it is easier on your hair.  I'll go into my steps below.

I decided to go with Elast QP No Base(Lye) Creme Relaxer in Mild.  I thought this would be best since I have very fine strands.{Wishing my hair was MUCH thicker, hoping texlaxing will change that}.  Anywho So I used this and purchased their Ultrahydration anti-breakage moisture-rich neutralzing shampoo as well (not so sure about the moisture rich part).  I used the half and half method done by the creator of one of my favorite blogs www.justgrowalready.com.  She is my "hair-ro".  Play on words, yep I'm corny.  Anywho, she's has done an amazing job and has given me a lot of motivation with my hair journey.

I won't say I was successful in replicating the process, and it was kind of difficult especially being my first time self-relaxing in a long time.  So, I first parted my hair into four sections.  Used Roux Porosity control conditioner on my previously relaxled hair to close pores and protect from relaxer run off.  Then I parted each section into 1 inch sections basing my scalp with vaseline between each.  I twisted each 1 inch section also to keep them separated so it would be easier to go back and apply the relaxer to my new growth.  I covered the front half of my head with a platic cap using duck-bill clips to hold in place.  Next I applied the relaxer to the back half using my Sprush that I won from the Just Grow Already Sprush Give Away.  I was so excited to use this (I NEVER win anything so I was shocked).  I started toward the center of my head and worked my way back doing my back edges last.  I went through and smoothed each section with my fingers unding the twists as I went.  Jumped in the shower and rinsed used Aphogee 2 Minute Recontructor for my protein treatment for 2 minutes. I rinsed that out and then shamppoed with the neutralizing shampoo (several times as I kept seeing pink; couldnt keep count).  I did the front half the same way. I then deep conditioned under my steamer for 30 minutes (turned backwards for 15 minutes to get my nape).

After rinsing my deep conditioner, I applied Darcy's Botanicals daily leave-in conditioner (Sweet Cream fragrance) love the smell of it.  Then I used Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum to seal.  I wrapped my hair and let it air dry overnight.  I wasnt sure if this was a succesful tex-lax (I should have timed it by the way) not sure how much texture i want to leave or should have left, but I'll work it out eventually.  I ended up flat ironing my roots because I wanted to get a trim.  I hadnt had one since August (Shame on me!!!).  I hate those scissors.  LOL!  My hair looks a bit thin in the middle from what I believe is due to damage from poorly neutralizing my nape when I was going to a stylist.  I kept thinking it was something I was doing, but I'm pretty sure now that I really look at it and think about it and after all my research that it wasn't all me.  Makes me sad everytiime I look but hopefully it'll get better soon.  I'm so impatient!  I got my trim done at Super Cuts.  She did a great job,  Wish I could do it myself, but let's just do one thing at a time. I guess I could put some pics {I'm embarassed :( }.



this was before my trim.  My hair is so thin toward
the center.  I try my best to hide it. :(



This is after my Super Cuts trim; I felt like
my hair appeared thicker.  Still tryin to hide how
thin it looks. This will change soon I hope.

 I never did post my wash day from last week.  I got a little lazy, but will try to stay on top of this.  I need to document everything(the good and the bad including pics) I am doing so I can learn and make progress.   Still getting used to this blog thing.  Well, I need to get busy so until next time.

Andrea :)

Wash Day Oct. 26

Soooo my wash day did not go too well and neither did my roller set.  I think I may have gone overboard with my products.  So I started off prepooing (warm) coconut oil on my scalp and I did a mild protein treatment(ORS Hair Mayonaise) on the rest of my hair.  I did also do a protein treatment the week before, but I thought another mild treatment might be helpful because i had some breakage (I believe) a few days after that last wash.  I'm not sure how to completely stop that or what I am doing wrong.  Anyway, my hair did feel soft after rinsing out the prepoo. Oh I forgot to mention that I steamed for 15 minutes before rinsing.

Next I shampooed with Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Shampoo (I think this is a clarifying shampoo).  I decided to try it out after reading how great it is on the blog justgrowalready.com.  I think I used Roux Porosity Control Next then Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Treatment.  Next I deep conditioned with the second half of my Argan Oil from last week under my steamer for 15 minutes.  My hair again felt really really soft.  I loved it.  Then I decided to do a clear rinse because I read how great it was.  How it adds shine and also adds slip to prevent breakage making it easier to detangle your hair.  Well this was not the case for me.  This is where everything went wrong.  My hair felt kind of hard.  I started to wonder if I had used too many products....  I proceeded to put in my leave in conditioner (Darcy's Botanicals Leave-In) and I used Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum to seal.

I attempted to do my roller set.  Unfortunately not only did I roll my hard hair, but when it was time to get ready for the wedding my hair was still wet! :(  I wanted it to air dry.  I tried to tame it as best I could.  It wasn't too bad, but it wasnt what i was hoping for.

On Sunday I rewashed my hair with Paul Mitchell again to get out all the product I had put into my hair.  Then I used Roux Porosity Control and PM Super Skinny Treatment.  After that I deep conditioned using KeraPro restorative treatment under my hair dryer for about 15 minutes.  After rinsing I did my leave-in and used Organix Coconut Oil Anti-Breakage Serum (I used this the week before also and my hair felt amazing).  I wrapped and let my hair air dry (I had nowhere to go this time).  It felt much better and much softer.

I have learned my lesson.  Never go overboard on the products.  All of that was not necessary.  And I need to really be careful because i think I have about an inch of new growth now (6 wks post relaxler). Woo! I'm trying to moisutize I seal everynight now (but I'm not caring for that too much because i dont like when my hair looks oily).  But I've got to do what I've got to do to protect my locks.  Protective styling is something I will have to adopt. And weaves are definitely not my thing.  I like to wear my own hair so I will have to start getting creative.  Maybe more so when I get a little more length.  Next wash day is coming up soon.  Let's see how this turns out.  I have a lot to learn still.

Andrea :)

Older Pics (Once Upon A Time)

Please forgive the quality of the photos.  Some of them are pics scanned and so the quality may not be so great.  I'm sure there's a better way to do this, but I haven't gotten used to blogging yet. lol.  I think they are in order timewise, I can't really remember exactly when each one was taken. 

 


Hair looked okay, but I think I was doing a good job
hiding the damage (maybe 2007 or 2008)



Good hair day.  You can tell I was feeling my hair in this pic. Ha! I had a
red rinse put in too. But it was after yet another chop due to damage. :(
I'm thinking 2008

I was trying to get my hair back on track.  Ends look very stringy
here.  My hair obviously was not in the best health. (2009)

Another chop due to damage. My hair was breaking and looking thin
in the back. (Summer 2010)
  

This was the big chop. My hair was shaved low in the back.
Almost cried.  I have never gone this short before. Spring 2011

Another big chop pic.  I didn't ever really take any of the back.
I got the cut in Spring(March I believe) of 2011 btw.

On my birthday, Oct. 21, 2011
Letting it grow out(of course)

 September 2012 (but I still have a ways to go)

Here are two more photos that may have shown the longest my hair has been.  I wouldn't mind to go even longer than that.  Again, please excuse the image quality.  Those had to have been taken between 2004 and 2006.  Wow!

I plan on keeping track of everything I do and making sure to exclude direct heat as much as possible, moisture moisture moisture, lots-a-protein, and some all-around TLC! :)

Tomorrow I will document my wash day.  So glad to have this all documented so I can keep track of what I am doing and the results I am getting.  Until tomorrow!

Andrea :)



Today Is Wash Day (Friday, Oct. 26, 2012)

So today is wash day for me.  Still in the process.  I have pre-pooed, shampood, etc. etc., next is deep conditioning.  I will actually get more into detail once I've completed my currently 2 day plan to get my hair together. I'm going to leave my deep conditioner in overnight because I want to do a roller set (fingers crossed) in the A.M.  I have two weddings to attend tomorrow so this is why I am making it a two day process.

Thought I would start out by sharing my plans for my new hair journey, as far as the changes that I want to make to my "regimen".  That's so weird to say because I never realized I had one. Here are some things I currently plan to or already have added to my hair care regimen:





Taken Oct. 19; two days before my b-day on Oct. 21 :)

1. Deep Conditioning - this is a must to keep moisture in my hair.  When I was getting my hair done at the salon every two weeks I was not getting this.  This was only done when I received a relaxer.  I guess I was supposed to ask (but she knew I wanted my length back.  I would have thought she'd have suggested it.  I used to do this on and off when I cared for my own hair.  Now I plan to do this on a regular basis.  I may even try co-washing (washing with conditioner only).
2. Protein Treatments - During my healthy hair research I have come across a lot of sites, posts, and articles emphasizing the importance of keeping the proper moisture/protein balance for your hair.  I had never known or even considered how important this is to hair health.  I even just realized recently that I had occasionally done a few protein treatments in the past.  I had once gotten into a routine of using Organic Root Stimulator's Hair Mayonaise once a week.  Sometimes it made my hair feel kind of hard and after my research now I know why. LOL!  Too much protein.  I am trying to learn to read my hair and know when it needs more protein and when it needs more moisture.
3. Tex-laxing - This is when you relax the hair without completely processing it, leaving some texture.  I had always wondered if my hair had not been fully processed when Mrs. Winbush was doing my relaxers in high school.  I would always notice that when it was wet it would curl up which made me wonder if it was stronger because it was not completely processed.  After I went off to college I started going to different salons and I notice that my hair no longer curls up the way it used to.  I think beginning this process will help my hair to be stronger and thicker.
4. Relaxer Stretching - I have read about this on a lot of different blogs and online articles as well.  I am definitely guilty of scheduling that relaxer when I feel the slightest amount of kinkiness in my new growth.  I cannot stand and feel like I cannot even touch my hair with a comb. Ugh! But it is definely best to stretch the time between relaxers because you dont want any overlapping of relaxer onto your previously relaxed hair.  This can cause overprocessing and breakage and BREAKAGE is what I want to AVOID big time!!!  No more of that.   For now I'm hoping I can go 10 weeks.  Maybe eventually I will work my way up to 12 or 14.  I am currently going on 6 weeks.  I would have had my appointment scheduled by now. Ha ha!  I also plan to self relax as well. 

Well, this is the plan.  I am hoping this will all lead to positive things for my hair.  I am still experiencing some breakage and shedding here and there, but I think it's getting better.  I am definitely still learning and figuring out what will work for me. My goal at the moment is Bra Strap Length (BSL).  Not sure how long this will take me.  Hopefully I will get my official first wash day post up tomorrow or Sunday.  I also want to get some pics up soon of where my hair used to be and where it is currently.  Here are some I took about a week ago to see where my length is right now.  The pic on the bottom shows my damaged nap.  :(







Hair looking a lot healthier. Started my new changes in Sept.
My last trim was after my relaxer in August. This pic was taken 10/19/12

My damaged nape :(
Plan to apply a lot of TLC here



 

I am so excited about this new journey.  I hope I can inspire anyone just as others have inspired me.  It can be done!

Goodnight!

Andrea :)